Viet Nam targets 3,000 kilometres of expressway in use by year-end

Another 200 kilometres to open to traffic on August 19

In late June, the left bore of the third tunnel on the Quang Ngai-Hoai Nhon Expressway broke through eight months ahead of schedule. Earlier in late April, a breakthrough was also achieved at the right bore six months ahead of schedule.

The 88-kilometre-long Quang Ngai-Hoai Nhon Expressway, which runs through Quang Ngai and Gia Lai Provinces, has a total investment capital of 20.4 trillion VND (780.1 million USD). The route includes three mountain tunnels, 77 bridges, 586 drains and 81 underpasses.

The third tunnel, measuring 3,200 metres in length and 12.75 metres in width per bore, linking the two provinces of Quang Ngai and Gia Lai, is the project’s critical path and the final milestone for the opening of the full eastern north-south expressway.

To accelerate construction, Deo Ca Group, the project contractor, has mobilised over 3,000 personnel and 1,150 pieces of equipment for construction. For tunnel construction, the lining is completed concurrently with the drilling.

In the coming months, the contractor will continue working to complete the shells of both tunnel tubes in October, with equipment installation and completion of the third tunnel scheduled for December 2025, nine months ahead of schedule. Workers and engineers are working around the clock to meet the deadline for the completion of the whole route by the end of the year.

The 600-metre-long Song Ve Bridge, the largest bridge on the route, is also substantially completed. To date, the construction volume has reached 9.5 trillion VND (363.4 million USD), equivalent to 71% of the total construction value.

According to Le Quyet Tien, director of construction management at the Ministry of Construction, another 890 kilometres of expressway across 17 projects will be completed in 2025, raising the total length of the expressway network nationwide to 3,000 kilometres.

He added that a number of sections with a combined length of 208 kilometres will be put into use on the upcoming occasion of August 19.

Accelerating progress, ensuring quality

According to leaders of the Ministry of Construction, key national infrastructure projects have shown very strong progress in recent times, particularly the north-south expressway and inter-regional expressways. Among the 14 projects overseen by the Ministry of Construction, 10 projects have achieved completion of 72 to 95%, while the remainder have reached approximately 60-70%.

There are 52 other expressway projects under construction, most of which are generally progressing according to schedule, with obstacles regarding funding, site clearance, and technical issues all being resolved in a timely manner.

For the Lao Cai-Ha Noi-Hai Phong railway project, site clearance works are being undertaken so that construction can begin in late 2025, with large-scale construction expected in early 2026.

The accelerated infrastructure projects have helped raise the Ministry of Construction’s public investment disbursement to nearly 23.8 trillion VND (910.4 million USD) as of the end of June, equivalent to over 27% of the total budget assigned by the Prime Minister, higher than the average disbursement level of central ministries and sectors (25.3%).

However, Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh is not entirely satisfied with the aforementioned disbursement results.

According to calculations, an average of about 9 trillion VND (344.3 million USD) needs to be disbursed each month in the remainder of the year, requiring investors to take comprehensive measures to enhance disbursement efficiency.

Minh has requested that specialised management units monitor project progress closely, particularly those scheduled to begin or be completed around National Day and year-end.

In the coming time, the Ministry of Construction will review comprehensive amendments to the Construction Law and propose appropriate mechanisms and policies aligned with the principles of decentralisation and the two-tier local government model.

It will also complete circulars providing guidance on the national database for construction activities, construction investment cost management, and work maintenance to suit practical conditions.

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